The Profit Myth: Understanding the Structure of New York Charter Schools

Charter schools are independently-run public schools that have served at-risk students in New York State since 1999. By the fall of 2011, there will be 136 charter schools in New York City serving 45,000 students, spread across every grade level and borough. Yet even after more than a decade of experience with charter schools, questions and misunderstandings about them persist.

This brief examines a topic that is a frequent source of confusion and misunderstanding: “Do public charter schools create private profits?” The short answer is no.